The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for memorializing a deceased individual and, more specifically, to apparatus and methods for providing the survivors of the deceased a personalized keepsake after the deceased is buried or cremated.
When an individual passes away it is customary for the body of the individual to be viewed by family and friends at a funeral home. After the viewing, a memorial service or funeral is generally held at the funeral home or a church to commemorate the life of the deceased. Thereafter, a grave side service may be held with family and friends looking on. With the completion of the grave side service the casket is lowered into the grave where it will remain. A similar service may be held prior to or after the deceased is cremated. Usually after cremation the cremated remains are collected and presented to the family in a cremation urn.
The casket in which the deceased is displayed can be customized to fit the needs and preferences of the deceased and the family. For instance, a wide variety of materials, finishes, colors and decorative ornamentation can be chosen to meet these needs. The purchaser of a casket can also customize the casket using a variety of interchangeable stylized trim, for example, or corner pieces. The purchaser may select from a number of stylized corner pieces each of which has been ornamented to represent a xe2x80x9ctheme.xe2x80x9d The purchaser thus selects a corner piece design having a theme representative of an aspect of the deceased""s life to personalize the casket, for example, a golf corner piece design could be selected for installation on the casket to reflect that the deceased was an avid golfer.
Once the casket is buried or the deceased is cremated and the funeral services are completed, the families are left with few tangible reminders of the funeral and memorial services. Most families receive flowers at the funeral home which pay respect to the deceased and his or her surviving family. These flowers, however, wilt and die after a short time, leaving the family with few remembrances of the funeral or other memorial services. It is desirable for the families to receive a more tangible and permanent reminder of the funeral or memorial services.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a casket ornament display plaque comprises a decorative board, a casket ornament attached to the board and indicia attached to the board identifying a deceased to be memorialized. The casket ornament is one having been removed from a casket in which the deceased was displayed.
The indicia may be a nameplate bearing the name of the deceased, a photograph of the deceased, or both.
The board may include a pair of dowels installed in openings in a rear side thereof along a lower edge thereof permitting the display plaque to be displayed upright on a horizontal surface. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the board may include an opening in a rear side thereof at an upper edge thereof permitting the display plaque to be hung on a vertical surface.
Preferrably, the nameplate is a brass nameplate secured to the board with push pins, and the photograph is displayed beneath a transparent acrylic panel secured to the board with push pins.
The ornament may include a pair of screws screwed into a rear side thereof. The board may include a pair of keyhole slots formed in a forward side thereof, which receive respective heads of the screws. The ornament is preferably a casket corner ornament.
According to another aspect, a method for memorializing a deceased who is to be buried in a casket comprises displaying the casket containing the deceased therein, the casket having at least one selectively removable ornament, removing the ornament from the casket prior to inserting the casket into a grave, affixing the ornament to a display plaque, and presenting the display plaque and ornament to survivors of the deceased so that the deceased can be remembered by the plaque and ornament.
According to yet another aspect, a method for memorializing a deceased who is to be cremated comprises the steps of displaying a casket containing the deceased therein, the casket having at least one selectively removable ornament, removing the ornament from the casket, cremating the deceased, collecting the remains of the cremated deceased, affixing the ornament to a display plaque, and presenting the remains and display plaque and ornament to survivors of the deceased so that the deceased can be remembered by displaying the plaque and ornament.
The methods may further comprise the step of attaching a nameplate bearing the name of the deceased to the plaque, the step of attaching a photograph of the deceased to the plaque, or both. The ornament is preferably a casket corner ornament.
Various additional features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.